The sun still rose

Healthcare reform passed; earth continues to spin on its axis

March 22, 2010 | Last night "yes we can" became "yes we did." The House voted to approve the version of heathcare passed by the Senate last Christmas eve, sending it to President Obama for his signature. As if he would veto it!

With 34 Democrats voting "no" the bill passed 219 to 212, without a single Republican "yes."

Pelosi channels Teddy Roosevelt ("... and carry a big stick")

Contrary to what some fear-mongers claimed, the earth did not stop spinning on its axis — in fact, it didn't even wobble as it did a few weeks ago during the Chile earthquake.

Obama showed what a "community organizer" can do — any doubts about his will and backbone should be laid to rest. And say what you may about Nancy Pelosi, you have to give credit: she knows her caucus and how to count and deliver on votes.

He got it just right when he spoke to House Democrats before the vote:

Every once in a while a moment comes where you have a chance to vindicate all those best hopes that you had about yourself, about this country, where you have a chance to make good on those promises that you made ... And this is the time to make true on that promise. We are not bound to win, but we are bound to be true. We are not bound to succeed, but we are bound to let whatever light we have shine....

Don't do it for me. Don't do it for Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid -- do it for all those people out there who are struggling. ... Do it for the American people.

There will still be a lot of sliming going on between now and November. Having lost the vote, Republicans will now throw everything they have into convincing Americans that they've been shafted by the Democrats who "rammed" healthcare reform down their throats. They have to; it's their only way to avoid political oblivion, if not extinction, come November.

And the shame

We also have to take a moment to reflect on the shameful way opponents of healthcare reform comported themselves. Unable to win the argument on its merits, they resorted to hate and bigotry. A crowd of Tea Partyists demonstrated outside Congress (slideshow), where they were further stirred up by Congressmen acting despicably.

It is truly disheartening to see ignorant loud-mouths bawling terms like Marxism, tyranny, baby-killer, communists, socialists, and totalitarianism at the top of their lungs.

Democracy isn't always pretty. We've seen the fist fights in other country's legislatures.

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Anyone who has watched the prime minister's question period in England's House of Commons knows that even the ever-so-genteel Brits can be verbally savage and downright rude to each other. And we also know that our own Founding Fathers were not averse to settling disputes with a duel.

But really, the hate-mongering and fear-mongering have gone too far. The inflammatory language and signs are going to produce violence and tragedy before very long. The failure of our elected representatives to condemn these wackos is as much a disgrace as the wackos' behavior itself.